School Admissions
1. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children in Dunshaughlin, County Meath on waiting lists and still without an offer of a junior infants place for September 2026; the measures she will take to provide additional places, including with respect to language and ethos preferences; the date on which she will meet with Meath East TDs and local principals to discuss possible options; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29467/26]
I want to ask the Minister the number of children in Dunshaughlin, County Meath, on waiting lists and still without an offer of a junior infants place for September 2026, the measures she will take to provide additional places, including with respect to language and ethos preferences, the date on which she will meet with Meath East TDs and local principals to discuss possible options, and if she will make a statement on the matter.
The provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post-primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs, is an absolute priority for me.
Recognising the potential for school place pressures, my Department has been engaging on an ongoing basis with the primary schools in Dunshaughlin and has assessed application and admissions data provided by those schools.
In response to the identified need, my Department has engaged with the patron of Dunshaughlin Community National School and has sanctioned the opening of a second junior infant class at the school for 2026. Department officials have been advised by the school that offers have now been made. Parents can be assured that all pupils in Dunshaughlin will have a place available for September.
It is important to note also that construction work on the new school building for Dunshaughlin Community National School is progressing well and is scheduled to be completed by early 2027.
My Department's responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in that area.
With respect to language and ethos preferences, parents have the right to choose which school to apply to. However, in schools where there are more applicants than places available, a selection process may be necessary. This may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice.
Each year, 140,000 children and young people enter a new school, mainly at junior infant level and at first year in post-primary schools. On the whole, admissions processes run smoothly each year. My Department is required to engage with schools and patrons in only a handful of cases to make additional class capacity available.
The annual enrolment process for new junior infants classes at primary and first year at post-primary is a large-scale operation. As the Deputy will be aware, there are close to 4,000 schools in the country and there are 140,000 new pupils involved.
I take from the Minister's response that it is her understanding that the extra class at Dunshaughlin Community National School will accommodate all the additional children who were on waiting lists. It is my clear understanding that this is not the case. There are children who are still without an offer and children who are not on waiting lists and there are certainly children - in the region of 30 - who do not have an offer of the Irish-medium school place that they want. In the first instance, I understand there were 26 additional places at Dunshaughlin Community National School. Today is the closing date for acceptance of offer. My understanding is that there are a number of children who are still without an offer. Does the Minister know what that number is? What are her plans to accommodate them?
There is ongoing engagement between the Department and the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, with the schools. In relation to the Gaelscoil, because this is related and it is within the area, my Department has been in ongoing contact with the school. As of 14 April, there are 30 pupils remaining on its waiting list. It is important to note that some of those pupils may have accepted a place elsewhere in the area. The school has contacted all families on the waiting list to confirm whether they wish to remain on it and these 30 pupils have confirmed that they do. There is some duplication between waiting lists for the community national school and the Gaelscoil. Once acceptances have been confirmed by children on the waiting list for the community national school who are being offered places in the newly sanctioned class, those on the Gaelscoil waiting list will be advised of its remaining places.
It is the Department's responsibility to make sure there are places within a catchment area. An ongoing extension project for the Gaelscoil will provide two mainstream classrooms, two special education tuition rooms and two special education rooms. The project, as the Deputy may be aware, is currently at stage 2b, detailed design.
I will speak frankly here. This is an incredibly frustrating process. I have to say that today feels like more of the same. We are in a situation in Dunshaughlin where, taking into account the additional places at the community national school, there will still be children from Dunshaughlin without an offer of a school place. That is where we are going to be at the end of today and into tomorrow.
There are a large number of children who want Irish-medium education and they are being denied that opportunity. There is a clear solution here, and it was set out outside the Dáil when parents came up to protest. The much-needed additional capacity at the community national school is very welcome but also additional capacity and extra places are also needed at the Gaelscoil. There is a proposal in that regard. Will the Minister meet the principals and local TDs? As suggested by her Government colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, will the Minister meet them to discuss possible solutions to advance this and ensure every child has a school place?
I reiterate that I am in ongoing engagement with Oireachtas Members, including the Deputy today and other colleagues. My Department is engaging on an ongoing basis with Dunshaughlin Community National School. As I said, parents can be assured that all pupils in Dunshaughlin will have a place available for September. The construction of a new school for Dunshaughlin Community National School is progressing. That is well under way. That will be completed in early 2027.
In relation to the Gaelscoil, two mainstream classrooms, two special education tuition rooms and two special education rooms are at stage 2b and planning permission was granted in February of this year. We are aware of the demographics and demands in the area. As I said, we were in contact with the Gaelscoil in relation to its waiting list and it is working through that. There is ongoing engagement. The Deputy can be assured that for parents - I know this is the main concern - we will work intensively to make sure children have a place in the area for the new school year.
Special Educational Needs
2. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth if a memo has been sent to Cabinet in relation to the way in which her Department plans to deliver enough special class places and special school places to match the level of demand; the number of children who await a special class or school placement; the number of children who made an application for a special class or school placement; the number of classes that will be needed to match the level of demand, outside of the current 400 already budgeted for in budget 2026; the number of classes that have been opened to date; if every child will have an appropriate school placement for the coming academic year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28882/26]
The National Council for Special Education has verified that 7,860 children and young people notified to it by 1 October 2025 meet the requirements for a special class or special school place for the 2026-27 school year. Further children have come forward after this date, and this will continue right up to September 2026. Approximately 7,000 of the 7,860 children and young people have a diagnosis of autism. There is generally an adequate number of available places for children and young people with other diagnoses. The focus, therefore, continues to be on new places for children and young people with autism.
This data continues to be reviewed and analysed by the NCSE, which continues to engage with families. It is the experience of the NCSE that some families who contacted it may decide not to apply for a special education place. This may be where the place is not in a particular school of their choice where a student is already being supported appropriately in his or her existing school.
Data available to the NCSE shows that approximately 75% of the children and young people who came forward by the 1 October deadline are already enrolled in school. As in previous years, the priority group for access to specialist placements for the 2026-27 school year are for those without a school place, namely, children moving into primary school for the first time; children moving from primary to post-primary school; and children without a school place such as those who might have moved into an area or where their previous placement has broken down.
Budget 2026 initially provided for 3,000 new places. There are over 2,500 places also available through the normal annual movement of students from primary to post-primary and finishing school. The funding approved by the Government earlier this week will allow to provide for further new special classes and special school places over and above the 3,000 new places already budgeted for. That work continues and the new special classes will continue to be confirmed over the coming weeks.
At the Committee of Public Accounts in February, the Secretary General of the Department of education told me that a memo would be sent to Cabinet in relation to how we are going to deal with the exponential growth in the level of demand for children who require school places. Last Thursday, the Secretary General told me that the memo is set to be sent to Cabinet. Has that memo on how we are going to deal with this exponential growth been sent to Cabinet?
The Minister cited a figure of 7,860 children who had been notified before the October deadline. The Taoiseach has already clarified that there has been exponential growth following the deadline in October. I know the Department of education has the figure on the number of children who require a school place because the NCSE gives the Department a figure every Friday. That has yet to be revealed.
I want to know how many children still require a school place for the coming academic year and whether a memo has been sent to the Government on how we are going to deal with the exponential growth. It is more than likely that extra funding will have to be made available. Is it the case that we will need at least 600 special classes for the coming academic year? Are we still approximately 170 classes short?
Many of the 2,700 new special education places provided for in the 2025-26 school year are in special classes, which means there are now 3,741 special classes in our education system. Budget 2026 provided €3 billion to support children with special educational needs and that allowed for 3,000 new special places for the 2026-27 school year, with 1,700 special needs assistants, SNAs, 860 special education teachers, €16 million for education therapy services, extra special education teacher hours for transition and co-ordination and a special school package increase in capital funding for these schools.
This week, a memo went to the Government under which I secured additional funding for the whole education budget, not just special education, because there was a structural deficit in the Department. Already to date, well in advance of previous years, we have sanctioned more than 400 special classes and the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and I have continued to announce these. We want to do more of that. Work is ongoing with the NCSE and schools because there will be parents who may not yet know that their child needs a special class.
There are also a lot of parents who know their children need a special class or special school placement and they do not know whether their child will get a school place. The memo sent to the Government did not only relate to special education, but it must have included the number of children who require a special class or special school placement. The Department knows that figure. The NCSE has told me that every Friday it informs the Department of the number of children who still require a special class or special school placement. Does the Minister know that figure? Does she know how many classes will be needed for the coming academic year? At the end of the day, there are parents outside the Chamber who are contacting every TD's office saying they have contacted 20, 30 or 40 schools about a school place for their child. This is an extremely important issue for their children. It needs to be put on the record of the Dáil that the Minister for education is aware of the specific number of children who require a special class placement, the number of classes that will be needed for the coming academic year and whether the Department will match the level of demand.
As I said, 7,860 parents were notified to the NCSE before 1 October. There are more who are still engaging with that process so I secured extra funding for the roll-out of further special classes. Some parents are still waiting for reports or recommendations and some parents might not be aware that their child may require a special class. However, I reassure those parents and families that they will be supported in seeking a placement in a school.
Some 240,000 children who have additional needs are supported in mainstream settings. The Deputy will be aware that the NCSE began sanctioning new special classes in January this year, which was several months earlier than last year. Some 427 classes have been sanctioned to date, with an additional five inclusive classes. In addition, there are 139 special schools, including seven schools attached to hospitals and three schools attached to CAMHS units, with approximately 9,817 pupils enrolled in those 139 schools. These numbers will evolve over the next few months. If parents engage with the NCSE, it is the role of the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and I to ensure they have-----
Thank you, Minister.
-----school places and are supported in those settings.
Schools Building Projects
3. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her attention has been brought to the long and complex planning history of a new school building project (details supplied); that ten-year planning permission for the new school building project will expire in August 2026; the measures she will take to ensure this project is advanced before planning expires, or the steps that will need to be taken to advance the project as quickly as possible thereafter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29468/26]
Has the Minister's attention been brought to the long and complex planning history of a school building project in Dunboyne, County Meath?
The school building projects for Dunboyne junior and senior national schools will deliver a new 24-classroom primary school for the senior school and an eight-classroom extension and refurbishment project for the junior school. Both school projects will also include classrooms for children with additional needs.
I am aware that there have previously been procurement difficulties with this project and that an opportunity was taken to request the design team to do an element of redesign to include in the scope of works decarbonisation measures for both schools, and a fabric upgrade for the primary school. The revised stage 2b report for the senior national school was submitted in June 2025 and is currently with the Department for review. On completion of the junior national school's stage 2b report, the design team will be authorised to re-engage with the local authority regarding the planning permission.
In January this year, my Department published its sectoral national development plan, NDP, implementation plan, which included a list of 105 prioritised projects to proceed to construction or tender in 2026 and 2027. A Department-led prioritisation process will continue over the course of 2026 and 2027 to assess and evaluate the progression of individual projects through the design pipeline, including projects at stage 2b, such as Dunboyne junior and senior national schools. They are not part of the initial tranche of 105, but this will ultimately inform the next tranches of the programme roll-out to tender.
Officials will continue to engage with Dunboyne junior and senior national schools on their accommodation needs, including any interim arrangements that need to be put in place. Since 2020, the Department of education has provided €473 million in capital funding for Meath schools and, during this period, a total of 62 schools have been upgraded through the provision of a new school building, a large-scale extension or provision of modular accommodation. Currently, 13 school projects in Meath are under construction, seven school projects will go to tender or construction this year and next year, and ten schools have been approved for the summer works and climate action summer works schemes.
There are other questions on the Order Paper today about the same issue. A question being asked in every corner of Ireland is how are schools selected for prioritisation and how, in all that is reasonable, were other schools left behind. With the state of deterioration, dilapidation and condition of the school, that it is intended for this school to provide additional special education places and improved accommodation for a growing population and that it has essentially been at tendering stage on two occasions before now, the Minister will be able to imagine the extreme frustration of the school that there is a significant question mark over how long it will take to get a new school.
The Deputy will be aware there are a number of factors. This is a general statement about the NDP and projects to be prioritised. Demographic pressures in an area, enrolments in the wider catchment area, special education provision and that schools do not currently have a home are all factored into the prioritisation.
On the school in question, we absolutely recognise the need for prioritisation here. This is a five-year NDP programme. The first tranche has been announced. Due to the project being re-tendered, the design team is currently carrying out a pre-qualification for a main contractor and reserved specialist. The project is now at an advanced stage of architectural planning, stage 2b - detailed design. The design team submitted an updated stage 2b report for the senior school in June last year. The amended design was to ensure decarbonisation measures were included and it included a new scope. In the interim, the Department has agreed the temporary accommodation for the junior school site. That will be replaced as it is no longer fit for purpose.
The Minister will appreciate two significant considerations. One is the lapsing of the planning permission and having to go back. I met Meath County Council about this. There is a new county development plan. Significant work will have to be redone in terms of submissions and there is concern that will delay the project further. I appreciate what the Minister said about pre-works and so on, but can she give any assurance about that question? Will the lapsing of the planning permission delay the project further or can the two processes happen at once?
I repeatedly hear about a Department-led prioritisation process. What opportunities are there for individual schools or boards of management to engage with that process?
Where planning permission has previously been secured but is due to run out before the project can be delivered, there are mechanisms.
My Department is very aware of this and would have a lot of experience in relation to it. The Department examines projects on a case-by-case basis to determine the best course of action. One approach might be engagement with the local authority to request an extension to the existing planning permission, for example. I am just speaking in the general here. This would be applicable, for example, where a project has substantially commenced on site before the expiry date of the planning permission. In some instances, a new planning application may be required and in cases where that is necessary, the Department will avail of the opportunity to review, and, where appropriate, update the scope of the project. Officials from my Department, along with the school's design team, engage with local authorities on this as a matter of common practice.
Special Educational Needs
4. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether she will implement the alternative circular drafted by the Save our SNAs campaign group (details supplied) to ensure that all school students have supports appropriate to their needs. [29532/26]
It is only a few weeks since the Government caused fear, panic and stress among parents of children with special needs, school communities and SNAs by threatening swingeing cuts in SNAs in many schools. That was all because of a circular from 2014 which had failed the recognise the evolution of the role of the SNA and the needs of our children with special needs. An alternative circular has been put together by the Save our SNAs campaign group involving parents, SNAs and others. The group wants to know if the Government is going to support and adopt this new circular about the role of the SNAs in our schools.
I thank the Deputy for the question. The Department of education recognises the value of the special needs assistant, SNA, role in the successful inclusion of students with additional and significant care needs in schools to enable them to achieve their best outcomes and reach their full potential.
I am also aware of the contribution that SNAs make to the educational experience and overall well-being of students in our schools. I recognise that SNAs demonstrate a deep commitment to their roles and the students they work with, providing a range of supports, including for behaviours of concern, assisting students with regulation and fostering independence.
Currently provisions on the role of the SNA are set out in circulars 30/2014 and 71/2011. The policy and the process for allocating SNAs has been in place since 2014 and the NCSE continues to respond to increasing demand for SNA support, as is reflected in the growing SNA workforce. By the end of this year, there will be almost 25,000 SNAs in our mainstream classes, special classes and special schools. Since its publication, circular 30/2014 has facilitated unparalleled growth of more than 13,200 SNAs, more than doubling the SNA workforce.
The Department has concluded a comprehensive review of the role of the SNA as part of ongoing work on the first SNA workforce development plan. This work was supported by a working group comprised of a wide range of stakeholders which met on 15 different occasions in recent times, providing input from a number of perspectives. These stakeholders included school management bodies, Fórsa, the recognised trade union which represents SNAs, the National Parents Council, and the Children’s Rights Alliance. All of these organisations, through their representatives, participated in the dialogue, exchanged views, provided suggested wording and ultimately influenced the final text of the circular. My Department has also conducted significant focus group research as well as a national survey of SNAs to ensure everyone in our school communities was given the opportunity to provide input.
The Minister of State has not really answered the question. Let us remember that we had a massive revolt because of the anxiety, stress and fear induced by the Government's attempt to cut SNA supports in many schools, based on an outdated circular that failed to acknowledge the evolution of the role of the SNA and the rights of children to the supports and resources they need. What I have heard the Minister of State do is quote figures but the whole point of the new circular being put forward by parents, SNAs and school communities is that it is not about figures but about the needs of children. It is about a reaffirmation, as they say themselves, of the obligations of the Government under the UNCRPD and the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs, EPSEN, Act, and the rights of children to full and equal access to education. It is also about a recognition of the evolution of the role of the SNA as being somebody who removes the barriers and provides the supports necessary for children to have full and equal access to education at all levels. They want to know if the Government will engage with them on this circular, adopt it and it issue it as the circular that is needed.
The outcome of the consultation we have had with the various stakeholders, including SNAs, Fórsa, the National Parents Council and the Children's Rights Alliance, is a draft circular which provides a clear and detailed description of the range of duties and responsibilities of the evolving SNA role. The Minister and I fully understand the evolving role, which is a product of meaningful collaboration with all of those in our school communities. We met with the SNAs and other stakeholders last month in a day-long engagement to discuss work being carried out by the Department on the plan, including the comprehensive review of the SNA role. It is intended that a new circular and associated guidance documents on the role of the SNA will be published in quarter 2 of 2026.
The Government really needs to realise that we have had revolts on a number of issues because it does not actually listen to the people on the front line. The Minister of State has not responded on the actual circular that has been proposed by the Save our SNAs campaign. It comes from the horse's mouth and is about what SNAs, parents and others believe is required to ensure that their children have the opportunities, supports and resources necessary to reach their full potential and to vindicate their rights to education and full participation in society. Is the Minister of State going to engage with the people who put this circular together? Is he going to engage with the circular? Does he agree with the principles set out in it? He is not really answering my question. He said that he has talked to this person and that person but is he going to respond to this circular and engage with the people behind it? I suggest he meets the people who put it together to discuss what is in it. It is not clear, otherwise, that the Government will not make the same mistakes that led to the crisis we had only a few weeks ago.
We have had a considerable amount of engagement on this and work has been ongoing for a number of years on the SNA workforce development plan, redeployment and on the circular. A lot of work has been done in relation to the circular going back a number of years at this stage, involving consultation with those across the education partners, parents groups, children's advocates and SNAs who are central to advising on the challenges and the evolving role. It is important to note that we have been engaging extremely well to bring a new circular into the system. A huge amount of work has been done in terms of consulting with the people who are at the coal face. There are almost 25,000 SNAs and we have no intention, as a Government, to deplete the SNAs. The SNAs are a hugely integral part of the education experience for children with additional needs and they are the foundation of what we are doing. We want to ensure we have the right tools in terms of circulars, the workforce development plan, and redeployment in place to ensure SNAs are valued and the role they play is updated in the new circular.
The Minister of State did not really answer the question
Question No. 5 withdrawn.
Disability Services
121. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of staff assigned to each regional single point of access referral pathway for children's disability and mental health services, including primary care; the number of single point of access units established to date per health region; the disciplines represented on each; and the governance arrangements in place to adjudicate contested cases. [29469/26]
The Taoiseach told us this week that the single point of access initiative is being rolled out across child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, children's disability network teams, CDNTs, and primary care so that young people are not languishing on one waiting list after another. There is serious concern, however, within the services that buy-in to the single point of access is not consistent across all parts of the system, including psychiatry, and that there is an absence of a clear adjudication mechanism for contested cases. What procedures are in place in each region to make this work on the ground?
The Government and I recognise the importance of early intervention for children with disabilities and ensuring they receive the right services at the right time.
The HSE has been developing a single point of access, SPoA, referral model. As Deputy Quaide has said, this will ensure that children are referred to the appropriate healthcare service, whether that is primary care, disability services or child and adolescent mental health services at an early stage. As a result, children will not be put on multiple waiting lists or be passed from one service to another. I am sure the Deputy has had the same feedback from parents and families, as I have from constituents. Sometimes parents feel they get to the top of the waiting list and they are told they are on the wrong referral path and they go to the bottom of another queue. This is to solve that problem because we know that is not fair.
The roll-out is expected to commence on 24 June and will continue throughout this year. The SPoA model will be supported by the Health Service Executive's community care record at that time as a key enabler for the administration and delivery of services. A national oversight group and six regional implementation groups are leading the programme.
The single point of access referral model across all six regions will be achieved through resourcing, partnership and collaboration, and the design and development of a single integrated pathway and streamlined referrals process. It is not expected to give rise to an additional staffing requirement but local areas will deploy existing resources in a way that best suits the needs of their area. A standardised, online, publicly available children and young people’s services referral form has been finalised by the HSE and that single form and will replace over 20 manual forms that have been used until now. It is now being digitised to optimise the referral pathway and timelines for signposting each child to the service or services most appropriate to meet their needs.
Following the receipt of a digital referral form and engagement with the person who made the referral, the referral will then be reviewed and triaged, and this triage will continue to be locally led.
The single point of access is a sound concept and I fully support it. Young people are, as the Minister of State said, getting passed from one waiting list to the next and that is happening mainly because services have been understaffed for years and they respond to this by becoming more rigid in their gatekeeping of referrals.
There is also an issue of power imbalances that we need to focus on. For instance, it is very difficult for a basic grade speech and language therapist or a basic grade occupational therapist to hold the line with, for instance, a consultant psychiatrist, that CAMHS is a more suitable service for a young person even when, objectively, that is clearly the case.
I am hearing of concerns within services that psychiatry has not fully bought into the single point of access model in each region. I ask the Minister of State again whether there is an ongoing dispute between CAMHS, primary care and CDNTs about which service best fits a young person's needs. Who has the authority to make a final decision in that instance? Is there a named adjudicator? Is there a formal escalation pathway? Is there a timeframe for determination?
The Deputy is right that more complex cases will often require further clinical interventions or reviews to ensure the most appropriate pathway of care. Decisions on how this is managed will continue to be made at a local level. Once the work for a single point of access is complete, the outcome of the referral will be communicated to the referrer, and the child will then be assigned to the appropriate service.
In recent weeks, the HSE access and integration team, which is leading the single point of access programme, has developed a high-level standard operating procedure, SOP. That sets out the core processes and requirements necessary to deliver on the single point of access commitments. This is currently under review by the six regions. It has gone to the six regions for their input and based on their feedback, regional implementation plans, which were developed in late 2025, may require further refinement to ensure full alignment with the agreed national approach and with the supporting digital infrastructure.
Ultimately, and this is the important bit and goes to the nub of the Deputy's question, clinical governance for each area will remain under the remit of the regional executive officer. Local areas will continue to exercise their clinical and professional judgment to manage and find resolutions to cases in line with existing HSE policy, practice and procedures.
The HSE has repeatedly told committees in the Oireachtas that the single point of access will stop children from being moved around the system, between primary care, CDNTs and CAMHS. It is still far from clear how this is meant to work when services fundamentally disagree. That disagreement continues about responsibility for a young person and that is the real test of this reform. Will the Minister of State now set out whether the Department or the HSE has formally engaged with the College of Psychiatrists on the single point of access, whether the college has indicated full support for the model and whether it has expressed reservations, particularly around disputed referrals or contested cases, and whether she will publish the governance and adjudication arrangements that are meant to operate when these disputes arise? It is not realistic to expect a basic grade occupational therapist to make a referral to the regional executive officer. Without that clarity this risks becoming another reform that looks nice on paper but leaves clinicians arguing and families stuck in limbo. It is fair to say that all this is happening against a backdrop of services remaining severely compromised by a long-standing failure to engage in proper workforce planning and comprehensive recruitment to disability and mental health services.
I thank the Deputy for saying he feels that the single point of access is a sound concept. It is something I am very much committed to and I know it is something the Ministers, Deputy Foley and Deputy Carroll-MacNeill, are very committed to also. The HSE has done a huge amount of work on this. Ultimately, the rollout of a single point of access will be supported by the HSE community connects ICT system and by the regional implementation plans, which are now with each region so they can be fully refined. We expect this to be implemented soon.
In terms of the HSE and the College of Psychiatrists, if the Deputy would like to suggest to the college to write to me or the Minister, Deputy Foley, we would certainly take on board its feedback and be a conduit to the HSE if it feels there are any roadblocks there. Ultimately, what we all are committed to - the HSE, our Department and every person working in our CDNTs across the county - is ensuring families receive the supports necessary to meet their children's needs. Systematic changes have to happen in order to do that and the introduction of the single point of access, along with the 19% increase in the HSE's disability budget for this year to more than €3.8 billion, are clear steps that show we are very serious about this.
Mother and Baby Homes
With the permission of the House we will revert to Question No. 120 in the name of Deputy Claire Kerrane. Is that agreed? Agreed.
120. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will include additional institutions to the mother and baby institutions payment scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28696/26]
I want to ask the Minister about the landmark High Court ruling made in February of this year. It specifically examined two institutions, Temple Hill and St. Joseph's, that are excluded from the mother and baby institutions payment scheme. The judge at that time directed the Minister to consider adding these institutions to the scheme and I would like to seek an update on that direction please.
I thank the Deputy. As she will be aware, the mother and baby homes institutions payment scheme provides payments and health benefits to people who spent time in any of the mother and baby, or county home, institutions. These were institutions that were identified by the mother and baby homes commission of investigation as having a main function of providing sheltered and supervised ante- and post-natal facilities to single mothers and their children. The institutions covered by the payment scheme are set out in Schedule 1 of the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Act 2023. Chapter 2 of the social history section of the commission of investigation detailed the different types of institutions that existed and whether they could be considered mother and baby institutions.
While the 2023 Act lists all of the mother and baby institutions identified by the commission, section 49 of the Act further provides that, if it were to come to light that an institution in which the State had a regulatory or inspection function fulfilled a similar function with regard to single women and their children as those included in the payment scheme, the then Minister, with the consent of the Minister for public expenditure, may insert an additional institution into the schedule. The Government recognises there are people who suffered stigma, trauma and abuse in other institutions.
It should be noted that the payment scheme is just one of a large suite of actions being undertaken to respond to the legacy of these institutions under the action plan for survivors and former residents of mother and baby and county home institutions. The current programme for Government has underlined a continued commitment to its ongoing delivery. Of the seven major commitments set out in the action plan, six are now delivered and in place while the seventh is actually under way. Key initiatives in the plan include access to birth information, the services of a special advocate and counselling support, which are all already in place, as well as the ongoing development of a national centre for research and remembrance. The Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022, which commenced in October 2022, has seen more than 17,700 applications for information completed to date since services opened. The Institutional Burials Act 2022 and the establishment in 2023 of an independent office under the Act led the intervention at the site of the former mother and baby institution at Tuam. The Deputy is aware that work is under way there. There has been the appointment in 2024 of a special advocate for survivors, the provision of counselling services and out of hours counselling for survivors, and the administration of a commemorative grant scheme for survivors who wish to hold events.
The Minister will no doubt acknowledge the ruling of the court and the views and comments made, most especially by Judge Alexander Owens about the exclusion of the institutions, particularly of Temple Hill and St. Joseph's, because they were the cases brought before him by survivors of both institutions. I have raised the case of Michael Grant in this Chamber and in committee many times. He spent the first year of his life in Temple Hill. He was a healthy child and his mother paid rent for him to remain there for the first year of his life before he was fostered.
Temple Hill appears to have been identified as a hospital. I do not know of any hospital in the State where you pay rent to keep a child. I think that is an omission and that is the ruling and the finding of the judge who considered both Temple Hill and St. Joseph's so carefully. The Minister mentioned a shelter for children. That is exactly what Temple Hill was for Michael Grant. Will the Minister give me any information about the direction she has been given?
Specifically, in relation to the case, I acknowledge that the Department of children is responsible for overseeing the administration of the mother and baby institutions payment scheme and it must do so in line with the legislative scope and the intent of the Mother and Baby and Institutions Payment Scheme Act 2023 as enacted by the Oireachtas.
There has been considerable consideration of the legal advice that has been rendered. The Deputy is correct in seeking two institutions to be added to the scheme but I am obliged to take the advice of the Attorney General. The advice is unequivocal on the need for an appeal of the High Court and recognising that as a necessity. The reason is the grave degree of uncertainty generated by the judgment in terms of the interpretation of the Act and the related scope and parameters of the scheme. In a very detailed and comprehensive judgment, the State's position on a number of relevant matters was agreed with but there was also an indication there had been an error in law in one issue.
I acknowledge a review is coming up. I understand the review is quite niche but I hope the Minister might be able to confirm that the review towards the end of this year will look at the institutions. The special advocate who has been put in place to do a job has been clear in seeking the urgent expansion of this scheme. Having met Michael Grant and his daughter Rachel, my genuine fear is that he may not live to see such an expansion to institutions like Temple Hill. There are other survivors in that situation as well. We need to do right by them. Will the upcoming review look at institutions that are excluded and will it look at exclusions to the scheme as is?
I do not at all take away from the individual cases the Deputy referenced. I have to say in sincerity that I am obliged to accept the legal advice presented by the Attorney General and the legal teams. The legal advice that I have received is quite categoric in that it proposes that the decision as it stands would create a number of significant unintended difficulties. That is the clear-cut legal advice.
In terms of the scheme in general, more than 7,000 applications have been received and 6,500 notices of determination have been issued. Over €78 million has been paid out. Approximately 2,800 people have qualified for health benefits. The scheme is open for five years until March 2029. I acknowledge as well the UK Government's recent announcement on disregards they will allow when people who are in the UK are being assessed for social welfare benefits in the UK.
We want to see more people applying for this scheme. To date, over €1.8 million has been spent on advertising. The Deputy is correct that there will be a review before the end of the year. It is very much meant to be a technical review.
Guardians Ad Litem
122. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware of serious concerns raised in relation to the new national service for guardians ad litem; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28697/26]
I appreciate the Deputy raising the question and I acknowledge that she has raised it previously. The guardian ad litem, GAL, service is a nationally organised and managed service established to ensure that children's voices are heard and their best interests are independently presented in childcare proceedings by an appointed guardian ad litem. The target is 23 June for commencement of Part 7 of the Child Care (Amendment) Act 2022. The Department is continually working towards this launch date. The commencement of the national service marks a significant transformation of the sector. Children and their best interests are at the centre of the guardian ad litem national service. The need to reform the guardian ad litem rule under the Child Care Act 1991 had been highlighted for many years. The lack of defined qualifications, role and status, as well as an absence of appointment procedures for the guardians, has been widely acknowledged for many years. The new national service will create a national, professional and highly qualified service that better serves children in the courts.
I am aware of the issues that have been raised by the Association of Guardians ad Litem in Ireland, AGALI, in relation to the new GAL national service. I received correspondence from AGALI on 30 January setting out their concerns. I met with their representatives on 24 February. Specific issues raised by them were referred to the Office of the Attorney General. Department officials have engaged with key stakeholders including: court services; the Judiciary; AGALI; Empowering People in Care, EPIC; the Irish Foster Care Association, IFCA; the NGOs; the Ombudsman for Children; Tusla; and care experienced young people. As part of the establishment of the national service, the Department hosted two policy consultations in Cork and Dublin to discuss professional standards, complaints and the code of conduct. We also hosted a townhall event with stakeholders, including guardians, in Miesian Plaza in June 2025. The executive office will issue further invitations and consultations online from 11 May. These consultations will provide current guardians with the opportunity to provide feedback on the appointment procedure, the training and the supervision policy, and the practice of audit procedures under the new national service.
If anyone wondered about the value of guardians ad litem, they only had to watch the "RTÉ Investigates" programme last night. We saw and heard from guardians ad litem who are powerful voices for the children that they look after, speak for and very much support through what can be a very challenging State care system. We also heard from Judge Dermot Simms, who I had in here last month for a briefing along with GALs to speak to the very serious concerns they have and he has for the national service. On a number of occasions the guardians ad litem have to, for want of a better term, go up against Tusla in a courtroom to speak for and advocate for a child. I cannot fathom how we can retain the independence of GALs as they go up against Tusla while both are under the one Minister and the one Department. That is where the question mark is over independence. The Minister will know of the issue I have raised many times in terms of the legal representation. I cannot understand how that cannot be maintained in terms of guaranteed legal representation.
I do not for a single second underestimate the importance of the powerful advocacy of guardians ad litem. They are hugely important. This process is to ensure that they have the appropriate supports, the appropriate regulation and that everything is as it should be. I reiterate that for many years there have been calls to examine this system to see how we can do better and to ensure that the voice of the child is very much at the centre. They are a very powerful resource. I do not take from that in any shape or form.
The Deputy raised the legal representation. There has been, and there will be, no question in terms of access to legal representation. Advice will be available at all times and a head of legal has recently been appointed. If the guardians are party to a case, are bringing a case or it is a special care application, they will automatically also have legal representation. With regard to their independence, there are many examples of bodies under the aegis of one Department but being entirely independent. I want to be clear that the purpose here is to ensure it is a service that does as it sets out to do and the voice of the child is heard. We are doing all we can to ensure this would be the case.
When I hosted AGALI and Judge Dermot Simms last month I asked them to share one example case with me at that briefing. They spoke about two children under the age of 16 who were received into care for the first time and placed in a special emergency arrangement, SEA, which we saw much of in last night's programme. This was the first time they were placed into care and there was nothing else available. Tusla reported on the SEA over several months and they noted the staff were engaging positively with the children every day, that the children were comfortable and settled and that the placement was being overseen by an allocated Tusla SEA supervisor. When the guardian ad litem met with the children directly, the parents, the school and with Tusla and the SEA staff, they uncovered that the children were not being offered breakfast under the SEA. They were in school early enough to avail of the breakfast club but they were not actually enrolled in any breakfast club. The reported positive engagement was an hourly safety and well-being check of the children in their bedrooms. There was no attempt at connection. These were children who were found to be caring for themselves. Finally, the supervisor had visited the placement and was recorded as having met the children, met the staff and completed a risk assessment in one 21-minute visit. Now more than ever we need the guardians ad litem to have their independence and we need that legal protection retained.
I reiterate that the entire purpose here is to ensure that the guardian ad litem service is doing what it should do.
I recognise that guardians ad litem are an incredibly powerful resource who are hugely important in presenting the view of the child. This is to strengthen the service and ensure the system works. It is important that the system is regulated and there is absolutely no doubt about that. It is important that access to legal support is there where a case has been made in this regard and there is no question of that. There is no question either about the independence of GALs. We can quote many other bodies that operate under the aegis of the Department. There has been consultation right across the board on the changes that have been brought in. There will be further consultations, with town hall events and meetings, and further engagement again from mid-May, and this will continue. This is to ensure we have the best possible service in place.
Childcare Services
123. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she has identified sites for the Government’s pilot for public childcare facilities, and if she has considered Kildare South, given the urgent lack of childcare places available. [28589/26]
Has the Minister identified sites for the Government's pilot for public childcare facilities? Has she considered Kildare South given the urgent need and lack of childcare facilities in that part of the county?
The Deputy will be aware that we recently announced €135 million in capital investment in buildings for high-quality accessible State-led early learning and childcare. The process begins this year, as he said, with investment in buildings in what will be a groundbreaking initiative for the Government. Capital funding will be used to acquire or fit out building, depending on the requirements. Up to eight buildings will be selected for investment this year and the State-led initiative will provide thousands of places to 2030 using the €135 million provided in the national development plan. The level of investment will ramp up over the lifetime of the Government.
The Department has received project proposals from a number of sources since the programme was launched and there are also projects the Department was aware of prior to the programme's launch. In total 82 potential projects across the country have been received as of 17 April. These projects are at very different stages of development and it is also important to acknowledge this. Some relate to existing buildings ready to be occupied and ready to fit out. Others, however, are much longer-term prospects for the future. Not all proposals align with the programme objectives and some may be funded by other means, including the next round of the building blocks scheme or whatever might be more appropriate to the application that has been received. Some projects have been proposed by an existing early learning and childcare service provider while others relate to a building or property only and a separate process to identify an operator will be required.
Included in the long list are three proposals from County Kildare that have been submitted to the Department. The Department will continue to seek potential projects for consideration. There will be a particular focus in the new State-led facilities on providing places for children aged between one and three, with capacity for these children to continue in the service until they start school, because this is where the need is greatest. The aim of delivering additional supply of this type in suitable locations will include rural areas and urban areas that are not well served at present.
I thank the Minister and I appreciate her reply. The fact we have 82 potential sites throughout the State is encouraging at this stage. Is the process closed for expressions of interest? When the Minister suggests that some projects are from existing suppliers of childcare and others are for properties only, does she have a breakdown of those? With regard to State-led services, is the State proposing to take over existing childcare providers in a State-led childcare service or will it be through co-operation between those existing providers and the State? I stress the problems that I am made aware of on a daily basis in County Kildare. The Minister will be aware that I have raised them a number of times. I would like a breakdown between existing buildings and services and what is property only, and how the Department are treating these.
I acknowledge there are three applications in Kildare and they will be adjudicated in due course. The purpose of the State-led system is to step in where there is no provision. The point I was attempting to make on existing providers is that they may well be better suited to the building blocks arrangement. We have just announced a €10 million investment for private powders or community providers in the core funding model who can apply to extend their premises and provide additional places. Some of the applications that have come in might be more suited to this. I acknowledge that in assessing the sites and buildings, they will have to align with the objectives of the programme. If we have a building that is ready, it will be about the fit-out of the building or maybe the purchase of the building, and there would have to be a tendering arrangement for a provider to come in and carry out the work.
I appreciate the Minister clarifying this as it is an important distinction to make. Existing providers have access to other programmes to increase their level of service and this is important. Are those with a building excluded from putting forward that building? I want to mention the Kilcullen area of County Kildare. I am not sure whether one of the three is for this area. I have raised with the Minister previously the issue whereby upwards of 100 children are without a childcare service in that town. This is replicated throughout Kildare South where the population has increased. We have a very young population. Parents get up very early in the morning to travel 30 km or 40 km to avail of childcare services in other towns. Some of them travel into Dublin to avail of services. This cannot continue. This is a great opportunity for the Government to look at areas such as Kildare and develop State-led services. I ask the Minister to look at this and maybe she can confirm whether the option to propose buildings is still open.
To be fair, it is a rolling application and it is still possible to nominate or submit buildings. There will come a point where we will have to say they will be considered in 2027 as opposed to 2026 and I want to be clear on this. At present we are still accepting them. In terms of Kildare, under the previous building blocks scheme two proposals were accepted and funded. I encourage more providers, either in Kildare or anywhere else throughout the country, to take a look at the scheme extension we announced earlier this week as it is a very suitable scheme for many who wish to extend their premises.
I also acknowledge the role of local city and county childcare committees. There is a consultation process under way on wider early years and learning in terms of the conversation on education. Great work is being done by the local city and county childcare committees, and those who are willing to put forward their buildings, thoughts or ideas must first go through the city and county childcare committees and I want to make this clear.
124. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on the building blocks grant. [29531/26]
As I said earlier, I am pleased to have announced on Tuesday that next phase of the building scheme. It is a €10 million capital funding scheme to deliver a significant number of additional early learning and childcare places. The scheme is being funded under the updated national development plan. The purpose of the building blocks scheme is to deliver additional capacity in the sector by supporting existing early learning and childcare services to undertake physical extensions to existing premises. The scheme will be open to community and private services that are signed up to the core funding scheme and commit to continuing in the scheme and adhering to its conditions, particularly in respect of the fee management rules.
The aim of the scheme is to tackle undersupply of full-time places, particularly for children aged from one to three years of age. Places for children in other age brackets will also be eligible for funding, once services create at least the minimum number of places in the priority age cohort. The scheme will have two strands, one for extensions to existing premises for community services and another for extensions to existing premises for private services. Community services can avail of investment of up to €530,000 for projects up to a total value of €650,000. Private services can avail of investment of up to €265,000 for projects up to a total value of €650,000, with a minimum of 50% funding to come from the operator. Thresholds from the scheme have been updated since the previous scheme to reflect construction price inflation.
All projects will be required to accept a charge on the premises to protect the State's interest in the property and ensure that the capital investment continues to be used for its intended purpose over a long period of time. That is important. The State needs to protect the investment. It is important that if funding is being given to provide additional places, it will be used in the long term for the provision of the additional places, as set out in the building blocks extension scheme phase 2.
I thank the Minister. That is positive information and it is a positive scheme. I have had many inquiries over the last while from childcare providers in my area, both private and community-run, as to when it would be announced. It is important that it is for private and community facilities. We need all of our facilities to avail of it. I know people in Trim who are putting their children's names on waiting lists before they are even signing up for antenatal classes. The demand is that strong and this will make a big difference. Aiming the scheme, as I hope we will, primarily at one- to three-year-olds is also vitally important. They are children for whom we are lacking the most spaces. We need to help parents as much as possible to get back into the workforce if they wish to do so. This is a good scheme for achieving that. The scheme for State-led provision of childcare the Minister is working on will be hugely positive and beneficial.
I thank Deputy Dempsey very much. I acknowledge her personal engagement with me on all matters related to early years and childcare. I know it is a particular priority for her and her constituents. The Deputy is correct that it is important to look at two schemes. The building blocks scheme has incredible potential to support private providers but also community providers and, indeed, to provide additional places. The previous scheme is seeking to deliver 1,500 additional places and this will be a further addition.
The State-led scheme is also an important scheme. As we discussed previously, it is a €135 million investment, with a €10 million investment into the building blocks scheme. However, the €135 million investment is specifically State led, looking at areas where there is an absence of provision and where no other provider, either private or community run, has stepped in, for whatever reason. It involves the State stepping in proactively. It will be not for profit. The opportunity this year is for the purchase of the building and in 2027-28, we will look at other options as well.
I ask that the Department and the city and county childcare committees engage with providers, both community and private. I know a lot of places have identified to me a need for extensions, but some have not yet done so. It would be helpful if they were made fully aware and there was a good advertising campaign and engagement through the childcare committees to make them aware that this funding is available. I understand it is not matching funding for community facilities. It could be hugely impactful in our communities.
I acknowledge the role of the city and county childcare committees. We are indebted to them for their expertise and the manner in which they provide engagement on the ground with local providers, both private and community. I give them a shout-out because we have 50 engagements taking place right across the country on developing phase 2 of our action plan. Part of the discussion or conversation is around education, particularly early years education. Those on-the-ground consultations are very important and, as I said, they are being facilitated by early learning and childcare committees.
On the consultation, we have already had over 11,000 engagements online. There is, therefore, phenomenal interest in the whole area of early learning and childcare. The Deputy can be assured, through the city and county childcare committees, that every opportunity will be taken to advertise and promote the State-led and building blocks schemes to make people aware of the opportunities available to support them in the delivery of early learning and childcare.
Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions
We will begin with Deputy Ó Snodaigh's Other Question, Question No. 223.
Oideachas Tríú Leibhéal
223. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh den Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science an bhfuil sé i gceist aige aon mhaoiniú ar leith a chur ar fáil chun tacú le hinstitiúidí tríú leibhéal cúrsaí a sholáthar trí mheán na Gaeilge; ar phléigh sé riamh an gá atá le breis cúrsaí trí Ghaeilge chun an sprioc 20% earcaíochta faoi Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla (Leasú), 2021 a bhaint amach leis an Aire Forbartha Tuaithe agus Pobail, agus Gaeltachta, leis an Aire Caiteachais Phoiblí, Bonneagair, Athchóiriúcháin Seirbhíse Poiblí agus Digitiúcháin, leis an Údarás Ardoideachais nó leis na hinstitiúidí tríú leibhéal; agus an mbeidh sé sásta labhairt leo mura pléadh go fóill é. [22074/26]
An bhfuil maoiniú breise chun a bheith tugtha do na hinstitiúidí tríú leibhéal chun a dhéanamh cinnte de go bhfuil siad ag soláthar cúrsaí trí mheán na Gaeilge chun cuidiú leis an Stát an 20% atá leagtha síos ó thaobh earcú isteach sa Státchóras a shroicheadh?
Is é sin an chéad cheist inniu toisc go bhfuil a lán daoine as láthair. In any event, aithníonn mo Roinn an ról tábhachtach atá ag an earnáil oideachais tríú leibhéal i dtaca le sprioc an Rialtais a bhaint amach, is é sin go mbeidh 20% d'earcaigh san earnáil phoiblí inniúil sa Ghaeilge faoi 2030.
Le hAcht an Údaráis um Ard-Oideachas, 2022 cuirtear oibleagáid reachtúil ar an Údarás um Ard-Oideachas tacú le hinstitiúidí ardoideachais chun an Ghaeilge a mhúineadh, a chur chun cinn agus a úsáid. Chun na críche sin, tacaíonn mo Roinn le hinstitiúidí ardoideachais faoi láthair, tríd an Údarás um Ard-Oideachas, trí mhaoiniú lárnach agus trí shruthanna maoinithe sonracha do thionscnaimh Ghaeilge. Áirítear leis seo beagnach €1.8 milliún in aghaidh na bliana d'Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge in Ollscoil na Gaillimhe agus €900,000 do thionscnaimh Ghaeilge níos leithne sna hollscoileanna.
Lasmuigh den earnáil ardoideachais, tá scileanna Gaeilge á gcur chun cinn freisin trí líonraí Skillnet Ireland, printíseachtaí agus cláir bhreisoideachais agus oiliúna. Cuireann sé sin uile leis an sprioc bheartais níos leithne maidir leis an nGaeilge a thacú i dtaobh úsáid na teanga go gairmiúil.
Maidir leis an bplean náisiúnta do sheirbhísí poiblí Gaeilge go sonrach, tá mo Roinn tiomanta go n-oibreoimid leis an earnáil oideachais tríú leibhéal agus le Ranna eile chun a chuspóirí a chur chun cinn. Áirítear leis an obair seo grúpa oibre earnála a bhunú, a mbeidh comhchathaoirleacht á déanamh air idir mo Roinn agus an Roinn Forbartha Tuaithe agus Pobail agus Gaeltachta, chun breathnú ar bhealaí praiticiúla inar féidir leis na hearnálacha-----
I thank the Minister.
Ar a laghad tá tuiscint ann anois go bhfuil gá chun gníomh a dhéanamh agus díriú isteach ar an gceist seo. Tá roinnt de na hinstitiúidí tríú leibhéal ar an eolas faoin ngá díriú isteach ar an gceist, ach don chuid is mó tá siad ag caint faoi láthair ar modules a chur ar fáil sna cúrsaí, seachas go mbeadh an cúrsa iomlán i nGaeilge. Tá buntáiste ag an dá chóras, ach sa deireadh thiar thall, muna bhfuil an cúrsa ina iomláine trí Ghaeilge, déanann sé níos deacra do roinnt de na gairmeacha a chur i láthair i gceart as Gaeilge. Ní leor do dhochtúir a bheith in ann Gaeilge a labhairt. Is gá dóibh an t-eolas a bheith acu agus é a chur i láthair sa Ghaeilge theicniúil a bhainfeadh le dochtúir, innealtóir nó aon duine mar sin.
Is minic a fhaighim an cheist ar cé mhéad mac léinn san ardoideachas a dhéanann staidéar ar an nGaeilge. Ní rud simplí é líon na mac léinn atá ag déanamh staidéir ar an nGaeilge sa tríú leibhéal a oibriú amach ós rud é go gcuirfear an Ghaeilge ar fáil mar ghné riachtanach i gcuid mhór clár, lena n-áirítear formhór na gclár comhchéime onóracha BA. Léiríonn anailís a rinne an tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas le déanaí go raibh 420 mac léinn ag déanamh cúrsaí go hiomlán trí Ghaeilge sa bhliain acadúil 2023/2024 agus 2,625 eile ag déanamh cuid dá gcúrsaí trí Ghaeilge, á spreagadh go mór ag cúrsaí san earnáil oideachais. Ní áirítear leis na figiúirí seo, áfach, mic léinn atá cláraithe i gclár ginearálta BA inar féidir an Ghaeilge a thairiscint mar ábhar riachtanach.
Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh: Táimid ag díriú isteach ar cheann de na ceisteanna go gcaithfimid mic léinn a mhealladh isteach sa chóras chun na hábhair seo a dhéanamh. Ní bhíonn a fhios acu. Níl an cúrsa ar fáil. Faoin am atá sé ar fáil, tá na mic léinn seo tar éis bogadh ar aghaidh. Mar shampla, bhíodh céim san iriseoireacht ann go hiomlán trí Ghaeilge. Níl sé ann a thuilleadh, in ainneoin go bhfuil TG4 againn anois agus tá fás i ngach uile gné den saol ó thaobh na meán cumarsáide. Tá roinnt réimsí ar féidir linn daltaí a mhealladh isteach ann an-tapa. Tógfaidh sé i bhfad Éireann níos faide do chinn eile. Caithfidh straitéis a bheith ann ionas go bhfuil a fhios againn go bhfuil innealtóirí, dochtúirí, lianna de shóirt eile, fiú garraíodóirí agus a leithéid, go bhfuil an tomhas acadúil acu as Gaeilge, ní díreach an Ghaeilge.
Níor luaigh mé leis an Teachta Dála gur fhoghlaim mé mo chuid Gaeilge sa King’s Inns at the time. Tuigim an pointe sin. Tá an Roinn ag tacú le húsáid na Gaeilge ag an tríú leibhéal trí mhaoiniú a leithdháileadh ar institiúidí tríú leibhéal. Dáileadh €1.6 billiún ar institiúidí tríú leibhéal tríd an Údarás um Ard-Oideachas mar bhloc deontais chun tacú le soláthar oideachais tríú leibhéal lena n-áirítear soláthar don Ghaeilge. Arís, dáiltear €900,000 gach bliain tríd an soláthar speisialta chun tacú le húsáid na Gaeilge i measc foirne agus mac léinn ag an tríú leibhéal. Leithdháiltear €1.76 milliún gach bliain ar Ollscoil na Gaillimhe chun tacú le hAcadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge. Is scéim mheantóireachta, oiliúna agus gradaim é Gníomhaí Gaeilge do mhic léinn a bhfuil baint acu leis an nGaeilge ar an tríú leibhéal.
Student Accommodation
211. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of purpose-built student accommodation beds that will be available in the State for the coming academic year; the amount that this has grown on the previous academic year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22017/26]
The activation of supply of student beds is of the utmost priority to me, my Department, the Government as a whole, to Deputy Kenny and I am sure to all in this House who take in an interest in the matter.
Since 2017, we have seen 16,266 purpose-built student accommodation beds completed nationwide, which brings the total stock to just under 50,000 around the country. At the end of March 2026, commencement notices issued in respect of 2,735 student beds, with a further 14,233 having planning permission but not yet been built out. In addition, planning permission has been applied for a further 1,684 beds that are coming through the system.
The projections contained within my student accommodation strategy, which I recently launched, indicate an emerging demand for approximately 42,000 additional student accommodation beds over the next decade, which underscores the scale of the challenge and opportunity. I should state that those 42,000 beds are not immediately required but they will be required as the decade progresses. However, there is undoubtedly a shortage of the beds that are required right now. It is not in the magnitude of that number but it is worth noting.
I am sure the Deputy has engaged with the new strategy which is published on the Government's website if people want to read it. It sets out a pathway to make higher education more accessible by promoting accommodation through addressing two critical challenges. The first is the affordability of accommodation by grant aid and additional supports to students to meet the costs of accommodation in lieu of commuting. The other challenge is around accommodation supply and viability and incentivising a greater rollout in the development of beds so that the 14,000 beds with planning permission that are not built out actually become activated. Affordability is delivered through a range of schemes, which I might speak about following the next supplementary question because I am watching the clock.
In relation to the student accommodation strategy, the Minister knows I am not in the business of criticising in any way, shape or form any new development and I welcome it. However, I will call out certain aspects of it that I do not perhaps agree with. We might differ on that but that is fine. I have a sense that the strategy itself is developer-led with an enormous reliance on the private market. It fails in very basic protections in terms of capping student rents and ensuring service charges cannot be used as an excuse to drive up the rent beyond the RPZ rate. The landlords will be able to reset the rents in between the tenancies. I am just noting these issues.
A final point is that it is vital that technological universities have opportunities to borrow in order to purchase land to build or fast track their own accommodation for students. I raise those points because at the committee on higher education, a number of students from Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn, AMLÉ, came in and spoke with us about that.
I have just one point, and I know the Deputy has engaged in good faith, as he always does. I have to correct one statement he made, and perhaps it is just not widely known. Landlords actually cannot reset rents between tenancies and that is a very deliberate thing I inserted to the legislation following engagement with my colleague the Minister, Deputy Browne. In terms of regulation, overall, student tenancies are subject to the same base rules as any other residential property in the State or any other rental, with the additional safeguard that in a student tenancy the rent cannot be reset when tenants move into and move out of purpose-built student accommodation. This is for the very simple reason that the new RPZ rules allow a reset when a tenant vacates, or after a period of six years, whichever comes sooner. In the case of student accommodation, the students vacate naturally most summers, if not every summer, and I thought it would be unfair on the students to impose an additional rent reset on them every summer. That would make the properties very expensive indeed. I intervened and negotiated with the Minister, Deputy Browne, who in fairness was happy to accede to that request and that protection is contained in the legislation now.
I thank the Minister for clarifying that and I will correct the record on that. I also want to speak to the broader aspect of accommodation that is being used by students in our cities. Since the Minister has taken up his position, in regard to communication he has with the Minister, Deputy Browne, there has been a significant amount of it in relation his own strategy. For example, in regard to private rental accommodation students have, there has been a significant number of cases brought to my attention where students are living in private rental accommodation near University College Cork, MTU and other third level institutions, particularly in Cork because I am a representative from Cork, where the accommodation itself is generally not fit for purpose. Whether it is because the local authority does not have the manpower or there is a lack of availability, there are very few inspections going on within private rental accommodation. From my perspective as spokesperson on education, and from the Minister's perspective, does he believe it is now more essential? Is he in any conversation with the Minister, Deputy Browne, about the inspections of private rental accommodation being used by students?
I understand that the Deputy's question has a pertinence to students because they are living in the private residential sector but I do not want to trespass onto the brief of my colleague the Minister for housing, Deputy Browne, in terms of the rules governing that.
While I cannot quite mandate it, I have strongly encouraged, and used any powers available to me, to suggest and request that where universities are advertising properties on their student portals or websites they should only do so where they have met basic standards. The rent-a-room scenario is one of the ways that digs accommodation is being provided. We have a sample licence agreement, which we have published on the website. I have asked my officials to examine whether that can be enforced in the sense in order for any publicly-funded higher education institution to market it properly through the different student platforms and student union campaigns, which I appreciate most student unions are embarking on, that this would meet minimum standards including signing up to that licence agreement. That would be a very reasonable request.
In his opening remarks the Deputy mentioned the technological universities so I will speak to that briefly. There is a programme for Government commitment to give them a formal framework. That is delivered in this strategy.